Surname Angern - Meaning and Origin

Angern: What does the surname Angern mean?

The last name Angern is believed to have originated in what is now Germany and Austria in the late Middle Ages. There are several possible origins to the name, though no single source has been identified. It may have derived from the German word for “anger”, or it could be derived from the German word angeren, meaning “to fence in”. It is also possible that the name could have taken its origin from a German village located near modern-day Nurenberg which was originally called Angerum.

The Angern surname is believed to have been first found in Augsburg, a city in Bavaria, Germany. Records from the 15th century show several bearers of the Angern name living in this area, and the name gradually spread throughout Germany and Austria as the region’s population grew. In the 19th century, many German and Austrian citizens emigrated to the United States and other countries, and the Angern name spread with them.

The Angern surname is not particularly common, but today it is found throughout the world among people of German and Austrian descent. Various people with the name over the centuries have made notable contributions to their society, from prominent military servants, to scholars and statesmen. Though the origin of the name is still unclear, those who bear it today can recognize a proud and long-standing tradition of German and Austrian culture.

Angern: Where does the name Angern come from?

Today, the last name Angern is most commonly found in the region of Germany known as Franconia, in the states of Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Baden-Württemberg. The name may also extend to neighboring parts of Austria and Switzerland.

The majority of Angerns are concentrated in the Main-Spessart region as well as the Tauber Valley. Historically, this name likely came about as a reference to the family's Falkenangern ancestral estate near Sulzfeld. The first records of the name Angern are from the 12th century.

At one time, the family name Angern was strongly represented in the Franconian region. However, as with many other German surnames, emigration in the 19th century, as well as World War II, caused a significant decrease in the population size of this name.

Today, descendants of the Angern family can still be found in Franconia. This includes the communities of Sulzfeld, Pappenheim, Heppenheim, and Heusenstamm. There may also be Angerns elsewhere in Germany, as the result of people emigrating from the area over the centuries.

Variations of the surname Angern

The surname Angern (also spelled Anger, Angers, Angermeier, Angerer, and Angermann) is derived from the Old High German personal name Anger, meaning “spear”. This surname likely originated as an hereditary occupational surname for a spear maker or wielder.

The spelling of Angern has changed over centuries as different languages and dialects have fluctuated in popularity. In the Middle Ages, the name was found as Anger, which was Anglicized to Angers. Some examples of this Anglicization can be seen in Mary Angers in Suffolk, England in the 1500s, and in William Anger in London in 1663.

Eventually, the spelling Angern became more common. Different countries, as well as different regions within countries, began to develop their own distinct variations of the Angern spelling. In German, for example, there is a variation of Angern that is spelled Angermeier.

Variations of the Angern surname are also found in Italian, Dutch, and Scandinavian countries. In Italy, the surname is spelled Angeri. In Dutch, the surname is spelled Angermeijer, and in some Scandinavian countries, the surname is spelled Angermann.

Regardless of the spelling or language, the surname Angern has been found around the world. It is believed to have originated in Germany, and is thought to be of Germanic origin.

Famous people with the name Angern

• Brigitte Angern, former German Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs
• Johannes Angern, Austrian Baltics and Slavic scholar
• Johannes Angern-Defner, German civil servant and publicist
• Markus Angern, German historian
• Otto Angern, Austrian Resistance fighter and medal recipient
• Ritta-Lisa Angern, Austrian alpinist and mountain guide
• Christian Angern, Austrian physicist
• Christian Angern jun., Austrian physicist and radiologist
• Jörg Angern, German historian and museum director
• Ernst Angern, Austrian entrepreneur and inventor

Other surnames

AngerAngerbachAngerbauerAngererAngerhausenAngerhoeferAngerhoferAngerhöferAngerlechnerAngerlehnerAngermaierAngermairAngermannAngermayerAngermayrAngermeierAngermeirAngermeyerAngermühleAngermüllerAngermundAngermündeAngerpointnerAngersbachAngersdorferAngersteinAngerstorfer